The Livery sits in downtown Benton Harbor. The brewery is located in what was once a horse livery. The exterior is rustic brick. It's weathered exterior doesn't give much of a clue to what lies within.

When you step inside you have two choices. Upstairs is the performance hall. Downstairs is the bar and cafe. (There is also a door leading to a beer garden left of the entrance. )

The upstairs area hosts live music and performances. It's a unique layout. A balcony surrounds the room and serves as an art gallery. In the center the old horse elevator is the prominent feature. Very interesting historic building with very modern usage.

The basement bar is a no frills, comfy room. The bar has room for maybe ten patrons. There are several tables in a variety of sizes in the room. There's a pool table and a couple televisions. If you want food, there's a counter in the back. The atmosphere is welcoming to locals and travelers.

The Livery brews a wide range of beer. Twelve taps included four lagers. They do have three beer engines, but nothing was being pulled on our early afternoon visit. (a couple firkins were going to be on later in the day) The quality of the beer is quite good.

This is one of those hidden gems that is worth checking out. It's location is easy to hit for Michiganders heading to Chicago, or those of you coming around Lake Michigan on your way to Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo or whatever Michigan beer mecca you're making your pilgrimage.

reviewed on: 2009-03-23 21:16:09

This was our last stop in beer tour of southwest Michigan. We stopped here on a quiet, cold Saturday night. The staff was cool, the space was cool and the music was good, but the crowd was non-existent. There was no entertainment going on upstairs, so we were in the downstairs (basement) bar. There's something cool about basement bars. They had a great selection of beer styles; lager, English-style ales and Belgian-style beers. We sat the bar had some hot food (a Manhattan, a.k.a., hot beef sandwich) and sampled some beers. The IPAs (there were three of them) were all good. I had a full pint of the Paris Roubaix. I think I liked that one because it reminded me of my homebrew. The place was kind of quiet except for being able to listen to the new Metallica album all the way through. The owner was there and was real cool. Lots of music and other events (like Yoga classes) go on upstairs which is also a bit of art gallery as others have said. I like the idea of a brewpub sort of also functioning as a sort of civic center. Very cool. I will go back if my wife let's me; I split a growler of the Livery beer at home and she says mine is just as good and I needn't go all the way from Chicago to Michigan for good beer. Yes, I say, but I need to support the arts...

reviewed on: 2008-11-13 23:38:13

The Livery is someplace I always enjoy coming to when I’m in the area. My favorite time to arrive is right when they open on Sunday at noon. It is located about a mile off of Interstate 94. The brewpub is located in a three level building that once upon a time was an actual livery business.
There is a bar on the lower level with a few tables and maybe a dozen stools at the bar. The lower level was the stables for the horses back in the day. The bartender Mikey G. is friendly and knows his beers. He has plenty of good stories about the trials and tribulations of operating a brewpub.
The second floor is where the large bar is located. I would guess-timate the capacity at over one hundred. This is the main bar area and also where they have live nationally known bands playing on the weekends.
The third floor is a balcony that goes all the way around the bar. Here you will find a photographic art gallery. It always has works that I enjoy browsing through.
Anyway, back to the beer. The beer is always worth the trip and they really have a way with barrel aging. You can’t go wrong here.
Stop in and tell Mikey G. that Evil Keith says hey.

reviewed on: 2007-07-15 21:10:19

I really like the Livery. The location is easy to find and it is right off the beaten path from Chicago to Kalamazoo (and all Michigan points east).

There is a small bar in the basement that is where I usually end up drinking. The Livery has 8 or more taps of varying styles. Showcasing both lager and ale varieties as well as a couple or three different types of hand made wines (some of the wines are on tap as well).

There is an upstairs bar as well, but the beer selection is not as vast as the one in the basement. The upstairs is dedicated mostly to live music. The owners of the Livery are very active in promoting live music as well as promoting craft brewed beers.

The Livery is just a great place that should be a stop if you are ever passing through the area. They do have food, but I have not tried any on any of my visits here.